Lagg is the smoky sister of Lochranza Distillery, which makes Arran Single Malt. Even though it is still a young distillery, Lagg was awarded ‘Distillery of the Year’ in the 2023 Scottish Whisky Awards. Lagg is located at the southern tip of the island overlooking the iconic Ailsa Craig. There is a long history of illicit whisky production on Arran (mostly in the south of the island), these were known as ‘Arran waters’. Lagg is reviving some of that heritage, albeit as a legal distillery.
Location
The Highland–Lowland boundary fault line pretty much goes through the middle of the island, which means Lagg Distillery is a Lowland distillery and Lochranza, on the other hand, makes Highland whisky. However, Lagg is not your typical, traditional Lowland spirit, which tends to be light, floral and malty. Lagg whisky is rich, earthy and heavily peated (50ppm).
Read more about the Whisky Regions of Scotland.
The Firth of Clyde supported fishermen and whisky transportation for centuries. The fishing boats would take ‘Arran water’ across to be sold on the mainland. Whisky production was booming until the law was changed and legal distillation was approved. The original distillery at Lagg eventually closed in 1840 due to unsuitable infrastructure and issues with transportation. The Isle of Arran Distillers finally brought back distilling to the south of the island in 2019.
The distillery building is designed to fit in with the surrounding nature. The green roof is made up of a variety of sedum species, some mosses and grasses, allowing it to change colour with the seasons.
Peat
The barley used for Lagg is dried with peat smoke, but the distillery does not use peat from Arran. Arran is in the final stages of receiving UNESCO heritage recognition and therefore the land is protected. In fact, the distillery has committed financial support to a major peatland restoration project at Dougarie Estate. I’ve just been told that they’ve been granted funding from Peatland ACTION, which is the Scottish government agency responsible for the work.
This project will commence in October and their financial support is committed for the first five years of the forty-year project. Most of the peatland restoration projects span much longer than the lifetime of those who found them, and some of the young people on the island will get to see this project come to fruition, which is very special.
A distillery representative said they fully intend to get involved and learn from the contractors on site once work begins. This would be a very significant step in the distillery’s commitment to assuming their part in responsible peat usage in Scotland.
Lagg Whisky
The bottle design is one of the best on the market. The glass has an abstract portrayal of Arran’s terrain, and the green colour is a nod to both sea glass and the peated flavour profile. Also, the rich ink font represents the peat smoke, and the wood closure is a modern take on coastal driftwood.
The Lagg Kilmory Edition captures the ‘house style of Lagg’. This edition is entirely matured in first-fill bourbon barrels and is bottled at 46% ABV. Expect creamy vanilla, citrus and bonfire smoke.
Lagg Single Malt Corriecravie Edition, 55% ABV, is available in limited quantities annually. The Corriecravie Edition is aged in ex-bourbon barrels, followed by about a six-month finish in Oloroso sherry hogsheads. Expect sweet, spiced berries, rich, dark chocolate and nuttiness.
For a small portion of the year, they create new make spirit with barley grown close to the distillery. This years experiment was peated to the max, 135ppm to be exact. For contrast the two previous Arran barley new makes were 90ppm and unpeated. It will be interesting to see how these will evolve in their casks.
Lagg Tokaji
This release is fully aged in ex-Tokaji wine casks. It’s bottled at 58% ABV and the peated level is the usual 50ppm.
Nose: Salty caramel sauce, sticky toffee pudding, slight grassy note and something a bit mushroomy, minced meat with taco spice mix, smell of dampness after an Arran coastal walk
Palate: Yum! Toffee popcorn, burnt caramel, honeyed nut, warming spices, rooibos tea, rosehip
Finish: Log fire embers, oak shavings
Overall, this is a very tasty whisky. I’m especially enjoying the smoke with the sweetness from the wine cask. However, I was struggling to describe the palate, the words just didn’t come to me that easy this time. I must try this again soon and see how it evolves. The neck pour can be very different to the rest of the bottle.
Lagg Apple Cider
Arran was once known as ‘Apple Island’ due to the high number of apple orchards. Lagg Distillery is now bringing back some of this tradition.
They planted around 30 apple varieties behind the distillery, with views overlooking Ailsa Craig and the dream of starting a new tradition of craft cider made from their very own orchards. Unfortunately, not all of the trees suited the land and the climate, and their orchard now has around 10 to 15 types of cider and dessert apples from approximately 2,000 trees. The south of the island is known to be windy and for getting whacked by the frequent storms from the Irish Sea, therefore the apple trees at Lagg have been heavily pruned to grow wide and bushy rather than tall. The long-term goal is to produce their own Scottish apple brandy (perfect casks for whisky maturation!).
After the harvest, the apples were sent to Ayrshire Riviera Cider for pressing. The bittersweet Michelin (also known as Bisquet) apple variety makes up to 50% of the blend, forming a robust and dry cider. The remaining mix of apple varieties brings in more sweetness and adds to the flavour profile. The only thing added to the pressed apple juice is a champagne yeast. This mixture is then left to ferment until all the remaining sugars have turned into alcohol. The outcome is a farmhouse-style dry cider bottled at around 7–8% ABV.
The Lagg Distillery Cider is a still cider, allowing the truest expression of the apples used. The cider has a nice balanced sweetness with a little sharpness while still being dry. Best enjoyed chilled at the distillery bar while admiring the views of the orchards themselves!
Overall
I’ve been a fan of Lagg Distillery since the very first time I tried their whisky back in 2022. The distillery gave Jen and I an exclusive casks sample of Lagg single malt as soon as it had turned three years old to be sampled on the podcast. The young whisky was impressive even then and it has been great to follow their journey. If you are a peat head like me, you must try Lagg!
I truly recommend visiting the distillery as well if you ever get the chance to travel to the Isle of Arran. The design of the space is great and the views magnificent. I especially recommend the Arran Water tour, which includes a tour of the distillery, tasting (with chocolate), and the many stories and history of Arran’s distilling past. Make sure to leave enough time to enjoy a delicious fish platter lunch at the distillery café!
Have you tried any Lagg Single Malt yet?
Disclaimer: I had a free tour and tasting at the distillery, and the Tokaji bottle was gifted. Some of the links used are affiliate links. If you buy through the links, I may receive a commission for the sale. This has no effect on the price for you.
Inka Larissa is an award-winning freelance spirits writer, content creator and Whisky Influencer of the Year 2026. Writing about whisky, cocktails and spirits since 2015, she explores the world of spirits from seed to glass. She is also co-host of the Whisky Sisters podcast.
